gallery | Autocar

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 09:47 AM PST

1744hrs More Mercedes musings from our senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel, who has been drooling over the prospect of an AMG performance version of the new Mercedes-Benz C-class. "When it comes along, it will be powered by an all new four-litre V8," says Andrew. "How much power? Well they can get 355bhp from an engine half the size, so 700bhp would seem reasonable... Actually there's no chance of that, but the ability to beat the output of even the top 507bhp version of the existing car is clear to see. It would put the 425bhp, 3-litre BMW M3/M4 back in its box too. The only question is, will it be given a decent-sized fuel tank? The pathetic range of the old car spoiled an otherwise near perfect motor."

1735hrs The awesome Toyota FT-1 is generating plenty of social media chat. Could it be the car to transform the company's image? Toyota is mainly recognised in the US for its saloon range, whereas halo cars such as the Toyota GT86 are badged as Scion. An interesting take on the new concept from automotive industry analyst Jonathan Carrier (@jonathanjcarrier), who tweets: "Scion already appeals to Generation Y. Toyota needs to be more than the Corolla and Camry, US number one seller, in the US."

1730hrs A quick reminder that you can get involved in Detroit debates with our team on Twitter at the following handles: @mtisshaw, @jim_holder, @StvCr, @hiltonholloway, @andrew_frankel, @Stuart_Price, @MarcNoord and the magazine @autocar.

1717hrs Back to Audi, where Autocar's senior editor (news and features) Mark Tisshaw has an update on the manufacturer's plans for the forthcoming Audi TT.

1713hrs Is Infiniti's association with dominant Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing having an impact? It wasn't totally clear if the intended message had filtered down at the launch of the sporty Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge at Detroit today. "Infiniti Eau Rouge is causing problems for non-F1-savvy journalists in the US," reports Autocar's editor Jim Holder. "One asked: 'Infiniti Red Water - why?'." It is easy to forget that US journalists might not know the names of European circuit corners.

1708hrs More Audi news from Autocar's associate editor Hilton Holloway, who has learned that the MLB platform that will underpin all the new Audi models from the Audi A4 and above and the Porsche-developed MSB platform which will underpin new Bentleys and the future Porsche Panamera family will both be engineered with both plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle capability.

1703hrs Interesting views from Audi, which says it doesn't plan to create a vehicle smaller than the A1 for at least another ten years.

1700hrs One final thought from our senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel on his discussion with Mini chief Jochen Goller: "Goller wouldn't be drawn on the configuration of the next Mini Clubman, but admitted that while it must retain its quirkiness, it needs to be more practical too. Does that mean a door on each side? Goller wasn't saying, but I reckon so."

1656hrs Another development from the conversation between our senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel and Mini boss Jochen Goller: "Mini says it is watching the BMW i3 with interest, but claims there are no active plans to use the i3 platform for an electric Mini," reports Andrew. "It would seem an obvious candidate for a range extender in the Countryman class. It seems it will be 2016 at the earliest before we see an electric or range-extender Mini."

1642hrs More news from the Detroit motor show halls from Autocar's senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel, who has got the lowdown on the new Mini John Cooper Works Concept from Mini boss Jochen Goller. He told our man that the new JCW will be "far more dynamic" that the last iteration. It will also be lighter, more powerful and more focused. Sadly, however, it is not due to arrive until 2015, contrary to recent reports.

1638hrs A refreshed version of the BMW X1 has been revealed during the manufacturer's Detroit motor show press conference.

1634hrs Autocar's associate editor Hilton Holloway has been speaking with Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Volkswagen's head of development, about the company's plans for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Neusser says the first fuel cell test cars based on VW's modular MQB platform will arrive in two years. However, VW is also working on improved battery technology which could provide full electric vehicles with a greater range. That could reduce EV range anxiety among motorists and indirectly threaten the viability of fuel cells.

1629hrs Determined not to be outdone by performance cars from the German brands, Chevrolet has pulled back the dust covers from the awesome Corvette C7 Z06, which packs 625bhp from its supercharged V8 engine.

1624hrs Now BMW is revealing the details of the BMW 2-series, which is getting its first public airing in Detroit today. Here is Autocar's story on that machine.

1623hrs Mercedes-Benz has given its new C-class another airing following yesterday's reveal. Autocar's senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel attending and was struck by the car's remarkable scope. He says: "Mercedes research and development boss Thomas Weber says there will be a C-class that produces less than 100g/km of CO2 this year. It wasn't that long ago that sub-100g/km cars were all VW Polo Bluemotions. I never cease to be amazed by the progress still possible in this industry."

1617hrs BMW's reveal of its latest M performance vehicles is taking place right now. Read about the M3 saloon and M4 coupé here.

1510hrs Al Gardner, president and CEO of Chrysler: "The design and engineering teams produced a car that was so stunning we couldn't build it in the factories we had. But we refused to scale back our ambition. A flagship car requires a flagship engineering facilities, so that's what we built with the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant."

1508hrs Chrysler has overhauled its manufacturing processes, spending $1bn to make the new 200 a success, says Al Gardner, president and CEO of Chrysler: "Why are we so confident? Three years ago we had a powerful realisation. We realised that if you want to build a car that truly competes in the largest segment in the industry, you have to start from within. For us that meant making a huge investment and a completely new approach to car manufacturing."

1504hrs Fighting talk from Al Gardner, president and CEO of Chrysler about why the new Chrysler 200 saloon is good enough to take on competition from Europe and Japan: "A lot of people won't see this coming, but we've designed a car to take on every other vehicle in its class, to prove that a quality saloon doesn't have to cross an ocean to be worthy of being on an American driveway."

1503hrs Al Gardner, president and CEO of the Chrysler brand, said: "Make no mistake – this is our new flagship model. It is a car that will redefine the brand and challenge every assumption about the mid-sized saloon segment."

1502hrs Chrysler has hosted the third of today's press events at the Detroit motor show. It has revealed the Chrysler 200 saloon which you can read about here.

1454hrs Remaining with Ford for a moment, Autocar editor Jim Holder notes: "Massive fuss over new Ford F150 truck here. Why? It's Fords most profitable vehicle, so much so that if it was its own car company it would be in the top ten most profitable in the world…"

1449hrs Autocar's Andrew Frankel was also at the Ford media conference earlier, and noted: "Ford's Mark Fields on ebullient form, as you would be if your company has two of the four best selling cars in the world. The Focus and Fiesta are working wonders for them, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the stinking new Mustang. Hope its rear suspension isn't too sophisticated…"

1445hrs Autocar's senior contributing writer Andrew Frankel, who watched the reveal of the Toyota FT1 live, says "It is fascinating not just to see the incredible new Toyota FT-1 but to hear Toyota admit its recent designs have been too safe, too dependent on what was known to have worked in the past. It is making a commitment to work with less consensus in the future; not the sort of thing you hear car manufacturers saying every day. It's refreshing, to say the least."

1441hrs The Toyota FT1 sports car is certain to be one of the stars of this year's Detroit motor show. Read our full story about the car here.

1358hrs Toyota has revealed a stunning sports car concept called the FT-1, which is the spiritual successor to the Supra. We'll bring you a full story on that shortly.

1343hrs Plenty of positivity over at Ford then. Next up at 1350hrs is Toyota, where we're excitedly anticipating some kind of surprise car reveal.

1340hrs "Supporting the new products will be our most ambitious manufacturing expansion in 50 years," says Mulally, "With two new plants in China, one new plant in Brazil, as well as increased capacity and production in Russia, Turkey and six of our US assembly plants. This will lead to the creation of 11,000 new jobs around the world in 2014 alone. More than we have created in any single year in more than a decade."

1339hrs Ford is gearing up for the biggest model onslaught in any year in its history. Company chief Alan Mulally says: "Ford and Lincoln will launch 23 new vehicles this year for customers around the world. 16 will be in North America – triple the number of new products last year."

1335hrs Mulally: "We expect small vehicles to represent more than half of Ford's total global sales by the end of this decade, with nearly one-third of all of our sales expected to come from the Asia-Pacific region."

1334hrs Mulally: "We have only just begun to see the full potential of our One Ford plan. We expect to achieve global sales growth of 25 per cent in the years ahead. We will become even more efficient to leverage our global scale to deliver profitable growth."

1333hrs Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO: "During the past seven years we have relentlessly pursued our One Ford plan. We are laser-focused on making progress with our Ford and Lincoln brands and have delivered 17 straight quarters of profitability."

1315hrs Ford has got the 2014 Detroit motor show officially underway with the first press conference of the day. Company chairman Bill Ford and president/CEO Alan Mulally are addressing the world's media.

1305hrs Mark Tisshaw (@mtisshaw) has also been consulting top-ranking Mercedes-Benz sources, and has discovered that the replacement for the Mercedes CL is on its way.

1303hrs Another quick gossip snippet from Autocar's Andrew Frankel (@andrew_frankel), who has spoken to a chatty Mercedes-Benz source who was happy to confirm that in addition to estate and coupe versions of the new C-class, the next GLK would be spun off the same platform and sold in the UK, and that there was nothing in the product plan by way of a convertible. When asked about the possibility of a four-door crossover coupé to slip between the CLA and CLS the source suddenly went very quiet and said, "we're here to launch the saloon".

1300hrs Audi's US growth was fuelled, not completely surprisingly, but SUV sales. The Audi Q5 experienced 40.8 per cent sales growth, while Audi Q7 sales accelerated by 45.1 per cent. The smaller Audi Q3 will join the US line-up this year.

1256hrs One of the stories to come out of last night's preview events was the strong sales performance of Audi last year, particularly in the USA where it enjoyed 13.5 per cent growth, selling a total of 158,061 cars.

1239hrs Then last night there were pre-event functions from the likes of Mercedes (which revealed the new C-Class), Volkswagen, Jaguar Land Rover and GM.

1238hrs Build-up to the show has been occurring over the last few days. On Saturday night the exclusive, invite-only Gallery event took place at the MGM Grand Hotel. You can view images from that shindig in the gallery above this story.

1222hrs Those of you who follow Autocar's photographer Stuart Price on Twitter (@Stuart_Price) will note that he has arrived at the Detroit motor show press office armed with his cameras, laptop and, most importantly, a chocolate doughnut and Coca-Cola. The breakfast of champions?

1219hrs Andrew Frankel has already picked up a few interesting snippets related to his aforementioned blog. He has learned that Mercedes will no longer offer the traditional multi-bar grille with a bonnet-mounted three-pointed 'gunsight' in the UK. The reason is that its image is elderly and it only accounted for a tiny proportion of sales of the last model. If you really want a gunsight, your dealer will fit one for you as an aftermarket accessory.

1215hrs What will be this year's stand-out show star? It's a question Andrew Frankel has pondered in his Detroit motor show blog, which you can read here.

1209hrs We already know that Ford will be unveiling a new version of its mighty F150 pickup. Although such vehicles aren't huge news on the European side of the Atlantic, they are critically important to the Blue Oval's fortunes in the USA. But the vehicles face the same challenges as the rest of the car world – how to improve economy and reduce emissions. The new generation F150 features some interesting tech and makes use of aluminium to reduce the weight.

1206hrs The Autocar team in Detroit is up, full of coffee and raring to go with a busy day of unveilings ahead. Ford has the honour of kicking off the day's proceedings with its press conference at 1310hrs UK time (0810hrs Detroit). Autocar's editor-in-chief Steve Cropley is heading to that event, so we'll bring you any gossip and insight as it happens.

1205hrs You can follow the team on Twitter at the following handles: @mtisshaw, @jim_holder, @StvCr, @hiltonholloway, @andrew_frankel, @Stuart_Price, @MarcNoord and the magazine @autocar.

1204hrs Our team on the Detroit motor show floor includes Jim Holder (Autocar's editor), Mark Tisshaw (senior editor news and features), Steve Cropley (editor in chief), Hilton Holloway (associate editor), Andrew Frankel (senior contributing writer), Stuart Price (photographer), Greg Kable (European editor), Richard Bremner (senior contributing editor) and special correspondent Marc Noordeloos.

1200hrs (UK)/0700hrs (Detroit) We'll be bringing you all the car launches, news, pictures and gossip as they happen live from our team in the Detroit motor show halls as the event officially gets underway today.

1004hrs We've had our first glimpse of the full Kia GT4 Stinger concept, thanks to this leaked photo. The picture, which appeared on Facebook, shows the turbocharged, rear-wheel drive sports car concept ahead of its full reveal at the show later on today.

0909hrs It's one of the biggest debuts of the year, as the new Mercedes-Benz C-class is revealed at the Detroit motor show. Mercedes' rival to the BMW 3-series has grown in size, but lost weight, and comes with plenty of new technology for its interior.

0730hrs Audi's new Shooting Brake concept is believed to provide a close preview of the new Audi TT exterior. Hilton Holloway wonders whether the firm can make the concept stick, given that closely resembles the older Shooting Brake concept shown in Tokyo in 2005. Read his blog here.

0502hrs The new Chrysler 200 has been revealed ahead of its official debut at the show later today. According to its makers, the 200 blends and 'iconic American design' with a new platform and new engines. The car goes on sale in the US in the spring.

0230hrs Don't forget that as well as keeping up to date with all our Detroit motor show coverage on this live blog and elsewhere on the website, you can also get the very latest news via the Autocar Twitter feed, @Autocar, and see the latest pictures by searcing for Autocar on Facebook.

0136hrs Over at Volkswagen's 2014 Detroit motor show preview event, Hilton Holloway has learned that engineering work has started on the much-anticipated Volkswagen Crossblue SUV. The vehicle, which you can read about here, is due to launch in the USA in 2016.

0133hrs More on the new Mercedes-Benz C-class from Dieter Zetsche: "The new C-class offers the most choices in the segment. It is the most individual and multi-faceted C-class ever, from the selection of individual front faces to the wide range of efficient engines. We will offer the first plug-in hybrid in this segment that can cover most peoples' daily commutes on battery-electric power. Our customers also get the most choice in terms of suspension, because the new C-class gets our Airmatic technology. We believe our customers will appreciate the enhanced ride. The new C-class makes good use of new lightweight materials. We cut its weight by up to 100kg compared to the previous model."

0131hrs Dieter Zetsche: "The Mercedes-Benz C-class is our highest volume car in the world and the US is its biggest market. In developing the new C-class, we aimed for a car that simply lived up to our mantra 'the best or nothing'.

0120hrs Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche: "Our sales success in 2013 was driven by our new products. First and foremost, 2013 was the year of the S-class. In fact the S-class went so well that we decided to extend it with additional brands of our flagships - the S63 AMG at last year's Frankfurt motor show and, for those who aim even higher, the S65 AMG at Los Angeles."

0102hrs So the first major reveal of the 2014 Detroit motor show has occurred. Mercedes-Benz chief Dieter Zetsche was on hand to introduce the stunning new Mercedes-Benz C-class, together with R&B singer Kelly Rowland, of course.

0044hrs Steve Cannon, head of Mercedes-Benz USA, explains how the CLA model is bringing in new, younger customers: "We're seeing new customers in the dealerships and the average age of a CLA buyer is ten years younger than a C-class buyer." He says the high-tech S-class has brought a touch of Apple Store cool to the Mercedes showrooms in the USA.

0039hrs At Mercedes' pre-show reception, company chief Dieter Zetsche is reflecting on the company's sales performance: "We have climbed the automotive sales charts. Last year Mercedes sales in the US were up 14 per cent compared to 2012 and almost one in every five luxury vehicles sold in the US is a Mercedes."

0010hrs At 0030hrs (UK)/1930hrs (Detroit) Mercedes-Benz will be hosting its pre-show reception. Autocar's Mark Tisshaw is attending the event and autocar.co.uk will bring you the highlights as they happen.

0005hrs Our team on the Detroit motor show floor includes Jim Holder (Autocar's editor), Mark Tisshaw (senior editor news and features), Steve Cropley (editor in chief), Hilton Holloway (associate editor), Andrew Frankel (senior contributing writer), Stuart Price (photographer), Greg Kable (European editor), Richard Bremner (senior contributing editor) and special correspondent Marc Noordeloos.

Monday 13 January 2014 0000hrs (UK)/1900hrs (Detroit) This is Autocar's Detroit motor show live blog. As the wraps come off the new cars later today, our reporters will be keeping you updated on all the breaking news from the first major motor show of the year.

2337hrs Our correspondent Marc Noordeloos also reports that Land Rover is planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Great Divide expedition in the USA in August 2014. The original trek, which highlighted the capabilities of the 1990 Range Rover, was a nine-day off-road odyssey through the wilds of Colorado. A retread of the same route sounds like enormous fun…

2331hrs It sounds as if US-based Jaguar enthusiasts could have to wait a little longer to drive Jaguar's planned BMW 3-series rival. "The new small Jaguar saloon will arrive in USA after global 2015 launch due to all-wheel drive being key to success there," notes Marc on Twitter.

2329hrs Meanwhile, our special correspondent Marc Noordeloos is picking up some snippets at Jaguar's pre-show shindig this evening. He's unearthed some insight into those stunning 2013 Jag sales figures we highlighted back at 1950hrs. "New V6 and all-wheel drive were key to sales increase," Marc tweets. "Jag is fastest growing brand in USA, Germany and India."

2323hrs So what will Toyota show the world at its Detroit motor show unveiling tomorrow. Autocar's editor Jim Holder has a hunch on Twitter: "Whispers abound of a baby Toyota sports car concept at #NAIAS. Would be a show-stopper if so."

2310hrs Since the first international Detroit motor show in 1989, a total of 1365 new car debuts have been made at the event. Among them have been 734 production cars and 631 concepts.

2303hrs The invitation-only Gallery event at the MGM Grand Hotel in Detroit brings together über-rich guests with high-end luxury car manufacturers. This year's event, which attracted several hundred guests on Saturday, showcased 27 luxury and performance vehicles from the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Maserati, McLaren, Porsche and Rolls‐Royce. A new addition for 2014 was a fashion show… obviously. Anyway, we've added some pictures from the event to our picture gallery, above.

2227hrs Volkswagen has already partially revealed two of its Detroit show stars. The VW Beetle Dune concept has been shown off in a design sketch and is described as "practically a production vehicle". Slightly more sensible, but potentially more significant, is the VW Passat BlueMotion Concept. It features VW's 1.4-litre petrol power plant and is being shown off at the show to gauge US consumers' reactions to a large saloon with a small engine.

2155hrs In the US the midsize pickup market is fairly modest. That hasn't prevented General Motors from pitching in to do battle with the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma with two similar vehicles: the Chevrolet Colorado revealed at last year's Los Angeles motor show and the new GMC Canyon, to be shown off at the Detroit motor show.

2129hrs Audi's Allroad Shooting Brake concept looks set to be one of the stars of this year's Detroit motor show. Images of the vehicle have sparked a sense of déjà vu in Hilton Holloway, who reckons he's seen the car at a motor show before.

2104hrs Porsche will unveil a new open-top 911 Targa at the Detroit motor show tomorrow. We've already spied test mules of the model.

2028hrs SRT has laid an early claim to the unofficial 'most attention-grabbing paint scheme' award at the Detroit motor show. The Street and Race Technologies brand will unveil this lurid green Viper Grand Touring model tomorrow.

2020hrs Every manufacturer will be hoping and praying that their teleprompters work correctly during tomorrow's presentations. Non-working equipment in front of a live audience can lead to unpredictable on-stage behaviour, as our friends at Stuff magazine reported on from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.

2018hrs As you can see in the picture gallery above this gallery, right now in the Cobo Centre the ground crews of each manufacturer are putting the final pieces of the presentations in place, laying the cabling for the audio-visual equipment, polishing the show cars to a fine sheen and – crucially – making sure everything works.

1950hrs Impressive news from Jaguar Land Rover on the eve of the Detroit motor show. The British company recorded its best-ever global sales in 2013. A total of 425,006 vehicles were sold, which represented an increase of 19 per cent over 2012. Land Rover sold 348,338 vehicles, with Jaguar pitching in with 76,668, a massive 42 per cent rise over the previous year.

1944hrs In the second of our series of blogs from the Detroit motor show, special correspondent Marc Noordeloos assesses Hyundai's position in the US car market and contrasts it with Europe.

1939hrs Hilton Holloway has used the medium of Twitter to report that he's safely arrived in Detroit. The weather? "Very bright, about zero. Quite nice, really", tweets Autocar's associate editor.

1932hrs Anyway, back to the point (what there is of it). We're sure most of you, like us, spent the festive period wondering what former General Motors boss Bob Lutz has been up to lately. The Detroit motor show has provided the answer, because the company he co-owns, VL Automotive, is unveiling a Fisker Karma-based convertible called the Destino. Which is, quite frankly, an awful name. Kudos to VL, though, for reportedly replacing the Fisker's electric powertrain with a 6.2-litre supercharged V8.

1929hrs Are they called Twitter handles, or are handles reserved for Citizen's Band (CB) radio? I'm thinking of Kris Kristofferson's character in 1970s trucking movie Convoy, whose CB handle was Rubber Duck.

1927hrs If you're an avid 'Tweeter', you can follow the team at the following handles: @mtisshaw, @jim_holder, @StvCr, @hiltonholloway, @andrew_frankel, @Stuart_Price, @MarcNoord and the magazine @autocar.

1921hrs Our team on the Detroit motor show floor includes Jim Holder (Autocar's editor), Mark Tisshaw (senior editor news and features), Steve Cropley (editor in chief), Hilton Holloway (associate editor), Andrew Frankel (senior contributing writer), Stuart Price (photographer), Greg Kable (European editor), Richard Bremner (senior contributing editor) and special correspondent Marc Noordeloos.

1911hrs In addition to this regularly updated live blog, our show team will be independently blogging about what they've seen in Detroit and what's impressed or dismayed them. Autocar editor Jim Holder is leading by example: he's already written a blog pondering the difficult challenge that lays ahead for General Motors' chief executive Mary Barra, who will face the world's media having been installed as the motor company's big boss late last year.

1904hrs As well as show unveilings and pictures, we'll also be reporting on some of the behind-the-scenes goings-on and rumours that will undoubtedly spread around the Detroit motor show rapidly.

1900hrs (UK)/1400hrs (Detroit) This is Autocar's Detroit motor show live blog. During the rest of Sunday and all of Monday, our reporters will be keeping you updated on all the breaking news from the first major motor show of the year.

1853hrs In fact, snapper Stuart has been out in the US since last week, when he shot our exclusive studio pictures of the bold new Lexus RC-F sports coupé, which you can view here.

1843hrs During the next day and a half we'll be bringing you latest show images courtesy of our intrepid photographer, Stuart Price, who will be flitting between the vast floors of the Cobo Centre, where the show is held, and the Detroit motor show press room, where he'll fire his images back to the UK. He's already been pointing his lens at some of the show build-up, as you can see above this article.

1833hrs The conceptual Audi wasn't alone: we've also seen images of the new Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 slip out before they were really supposed to.

1823hrs Of course, sometimes the motor show star cars unintentionally reach public consumption before their makers intended. The Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept is one such vehicle that snuck onto the internet yesterday evening.

1814hrs Shuman could be right – the build-up to the show has been fairly busy as manufacturers have teased and tickled us with sneaky images of their Detroit motor show stars. Read our Detroit motor show preview here to learn about some of the key reveals.

1811hrs Indeed, as the Detroit motor show celebrates its 25th birthday, show chief Bob Shuman says this year's event could be the best yet. Some 50 global vehicle unveilings are expected to be made on Detroit's world stage. "It will be an absolute news feast for the journalists who cover the show from around the world," he said.

1806hrs The Detroit motor show (or the North American International Auto Show to give the expo its full name) kicks off the year with some pretty significant new model unveilings. We're anticipating major interest in some of the show debuts that we'll be reporting on during the next 36 hours, not least from (deep breath) Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Infiniti, Kia, Lexus, Mercedes, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota and Volvo.

1800hrs (UK)/1300hrs (Detroit) Welcome to Autocar's Detroit motor show live blog. During the rest of Sunday and all of Monday, our reporters will be keeping you updated on all the breaking news from the first major motor show of the year.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 <b>pictures</b> leaked | Autocar

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 01:45 PM PST

Images of the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 have leaked online ahead of its debut at the Detroit motor show next week.

Chevrolet has described the model as its "most track-capable Corvette ever, designed to deliver supercar levels of performance".

The output of the Corvette's engine has also been revealed, with leaked specifications suggesting it will output 620bhp and 650lb ft of torque.

Further details of the Z06's engine have yet to be announced, but reports suggest the Corvette C7's engine range will additionally include a naturally aspirated 7.0-litre V8, another unspecified turbocharged or twin-turbocharged V8, and a supercharged "LT4" V8 engine.

These reportedly official leaked images show the Corvette adopts a muscular stance, with a wide body kit incorporating front and rear diffusers, side skirts and a rear spoiler. Quadruple exhausts can also be seen at the rear.

Inside, these images show the new Corvette gets leather upholstery, steering-wheel mounted paddles and a large, central infotainment screen as well as a part-digital instrument cluster.

The new Corvette will complete the company's performance car range, which also includes the Corvette Stingray convertible, Camaro Z/28 and SS models. The Camaro Z/28 is due on sale in the second quarter of this year, and has already set a lap time at the Nürburgring of 7 minutes and 37.40 seconds.

Chevrolet has said the car will achieve its performance "through unique powertrain, chassis and aerodynamic features".

Production of the C7 Corvette Z06 will begin in late this year, suggesting that sales will start early in 2015. It is not known whether the Corvette Z06 will be offered in right-hand drive or whether it will go on sale in Europe, but Chevrolet engineers have previously said the C7 Corvette would be offered in right-hand-drive format, but not before 2015.